With Flashdance' disco rules at Wilmington's DuPont Theatre

In the 1980s, disco ruled the airwaves and the clubs and dancing was a main attraction in a number of hit movies such as “Footloose”, “Flashdance” and “Saturday Night Fever.”

In the late 1990s, “Footloose” and “Saturday Night Fever” were mounted as full-scale stage musicals. Now, 30 years after it became a cinema box office smash, “Flashdance” is being produced as a musical. The show was put together last year and is on a national tour prior to its opening on Broadway later this year.

The national tour touches down at the DuPont Theatre in Wilmington, Del., this week. One of the featured attractions of the theater’s 100th anniversary season, it will open on Jan. 29 and run through Feb. 3.

“The show has been out for four weeks so far,” said David Gordon, during a phone interview Friday from a tour stop in Grand Rapids, Mich. “We rehearsed for four weeks in New York and then did two weeks of tech. There are a lot of projections and moving stage pieces so it took a while to tech.”

Advertisement

Fittingly, the national tour opened in Pittsburgh -- the city where the story takes place.

The show tells the story of Alex, an 18-year-old girl from Pittsburgh. A welder by day and flashdancer by night, she dreams of attending the prestigious Shipley Dance Academy.

The musical is based on the Paramount Pictures film, which featured screenplay by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas and a story by Hedley.

“We had a chance to work with Tom Hedley,” said Gordon, who plays the role of “Jimmy” in the show. “He and Rob Cary, who did the book and lyrics, re-did the show. It’s never been on Broadway. It was originally intended for Broadway but Hollywood got it first.

“Now, it’s going to Broadway. It’s interesting to see how we adapted the story for a stage presentation. The tour will be out until July and they’re looking to open it on Broadway in August.”

“Flashdance” takes audiences back to an era when dancing was high on the list of activities for teens and young adults all around the country.

“The show brings you back to the 80s,” said Gordon, a young actor who grew up in Los Alamitos, Calif. and moved to New York five years ago.

“Rob Roth wrote a new score. But, the show still has all the hits that made the movie so popular, including ‘Maniac’, ‘Gloria’, ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ and ‘Flashdance -- What a Feeling.’ The story is inspirational because it’s about following your dreams.

“Alex works in a steel mill and dances in a club at night. She wants to be a professional dancer and she is determined to do it. She won’t let anyone stop her. Some of us succeed. Some of us fall down. It’s all about the journey.”

“Flashdance” will run from Jan. 29-Feb. 3 at the DuPont Theatre (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Del., 302-656-4401, www.duponttheatre.com). Tickets range from $50-$85.